Eggie scanned the area one more time, then headed after the last two men.

Eggie’s family ran past Darla and she knew that Janie and Roberta had sent them. Once they were past the trees, they fanned out into an arc and they waited. A few seconds later, she heard screams and shots and saw men running from the other side of the clearing. They were so busy looking back at the bears—who could have easily overtaken them by now but hadn’t bothered—they had yet to notice the ones waiting for them.

They’d passed the cars in the middle of the track when one of them finally looked forward and saw the wolves waiting. He slid to a stop, grabbing the other one’s arm, and yanking him back.

Hands shaking, they raised their weapons. Not wanting them to hurt anyone else, Darla walked out. When she knew the men saw her, she shifted from wolf to human as she walked.

“You,” one of them said when she moved close enough.

“Hello, Alvin. Petey.”

“But you’re . . . you’re . . .”

Petey shook his head. “What are you?”

“Something you’d never really understand.”

“Get back,” Alvin ordered.

“Stop,” Darla said. “Please. You have to know you’re outnumbered.” She looked between the two men. “Let’s just stop this violence now.”

“You want us to believe you’ll let us go?”

“I don’t want anyone else hurt because of me. I want this to stop. Please.” Darla stood right in front of the men now. “Let’s just end this. Okay?” She placed her hands on their weapons, carefully lowering them. “What you tried to do to me today . . . I’m just going to forget it. You tried, you failed. It’s over.” She tugged once on the guns. “It’s over.”

They finally released the weapons so that Darla held one in each hand. “I forgive you for what you tried to do to me,” she said. “I forgive you.” And Darla truly meant it.

She stepped back from the men as Eggie walked up behind them in his human form. He was reaching for them when she turned away.

“Shame,” she sighed, “that I can’t feel the same forgiveness for what you did to nice Mr. Kozlow.”

Darla walked toward the trees where Janette and Francine waited. She threw down the guns she hated and walked past her sisters. “Come on,” she said over the full-human screams coming from behind her. “We’ve gotta track down Janie and Roberta, get our money from the Barrons, and make those pies.”

“Wait,” Janette asked. “Did we actually win?”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Eggie, his brothers, and the two grizzlies who’d been refs at the race had dumped the human remains onto hyena territory. By the time they were heading back to theirown property, the hyenas were easing out, sniffing the bodies. Then when territorial lines were crossed, the hyenas’ laughing howl could be heard for miles as those bodies were torn apart and fought over.

Eggie’s brothers and those bears had stared at him with clear disgust and fear. Disgust because it had been his idea to again use the hyenas for clean up. But the fear . . . that came from what they’d seen him do to those two fucks who’d come on his territory to get his She-wolf.

He’d been confused when Darla had walked away like that. She, of everyone, knew what he’d do. She was also the only one who could have stopped him—but she hadn’t. Yet when he’d seen the other shifters watching him, when he’d seen their fear, he’d understood what she was doing—securing his position as the one Smith not to be fucked with even though he was and never would be Alpha of the Pack. Darla was, in her infinite brilliance, also securing her safety and the safety of any pups they might have in the future. After what he’d done with his bare hands and the full-humans’ own edge weapons, all while in front of those bears, cats, and wolves, no one would be going near Darla to harm her whether Eggie was home or not.

Absolutely no one.

And that message would spread to every Pack, Pride, Clan, and shifter family throughout the States.

Knowing that, he headed toward his house, only slowing to a stop when he saw his father leaning against one of the nearby trees, waiting for him.

Eggie walked up to him and shifted. “What?”

His father raised his hands. “I know, I know. You’re pissed.”

“You let the full-humans know she was here, didn’t you? You wanted them to kill her.”

“Not to kill her. To prove whether she was worthy. To prove she had some backbone.”

“So you brought full-humans to Smithtown territory? You put my mate and her sisters at risk? And Bubba’s unborn pup? Just to prove Darla was worthy? Of what?”

His father smirked, took off the New York Yankees cap that he wore as a joke, and rubbed his black and grey hair. “You ain’t an easy boy, Egbert Ray. You’re handsome enough, I guess. At least that’s what I hear from your young cousins.” He put the cap back on. “But none of our strong She-wolves came out of the woodwork to be with you.”

“Your point?”

“I put up with Janie Mae and them sisters of hers because there’s real strength there. They’ll keep the Smith bloodline strong and going long after you and I are nothin’ but dust. Already those two boys of hers—”

“You mean your grandsons?” he asked flatly.

“—are real scrappers.”

“You mean violent idiots?”